Ambassador Ronald N. Weiser

Ambassador Ronald N. Weiser, a University of Michigan Business School graduate and Ann Arbor resident, founded McKinley Associates, a national real estate investment firm, in 1968 and served as its chair and CEO until 2001. He served on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations including Artrain USA, United Negro College Fund of Washtenaw County, and the Michigan Theater. He has chaired numerous political and judicial campaigns, served as the Michigan finance campaign chair for Bush for President (1999-2000) and was national campaign co-chair for Senator John McCain (2007-2008). In 2001, Weiser was appointed by President George Bush as Ambassador to the Slovak Republic.

Ambassador and Mrs. Eileen Weiser worked with U-M to establish the Ronald and Eileen Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia, and the Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies. Ambassador Weiser has since been awarded many honors including recognition by the U-M School of Business in 2005 as the Outstanding Alumnus and in April of that year delivered the commencement address to the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. In 2007 he was named Zell-Lurie Entrepreneur of the Year. He currently serves on the boards of the Henry Ford, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, and the Detroit Institute of Art.